A 17-year-old boy, who was a student at Southern High School this past school year, is facing child pornography charges in Anne Arundel County after police said he posted nude pictures of other local high school students on Instagram.

Police said the charges stem from an investigation that began in March. Police got several complaints about sexually explicit photos of juveniles being posted online.

Officials said most of the photos are of girls posing nude or engaging in sexual activity. They were posted on several different Instagram pages, all referenced to different county high schools.

Investigators said they were able to identify many of the teens in the photos and determined that a lot of the photos were taken as selfies or consensually.

Police were able to determine where the photos had been uploaded and who uploaded them through the use of search warrants and interviews.

The 17-year-old boy, who isn't being identified, admitted to police that he uploaded the photos after other people sent them to him, authorities said.

The teen was charged as a juvenile in late July with distribution and possession of child pornography.

Officials said they want people to be aware of these problems as the school year gets set to start again.

Police also recommend that parents whose children have smartphones and other devices talk to their kids about the dangers and repercussions of taking sexually explicit photos and posting them on the Internet.